September 2010

09/14/2010

I am so thankful to be a part of the amazing Wahl Xtreme Team. Wahl not only makes some fantastic clippers, but they also sponsor a wonderful group of groomers.

I'm too tired to write much about the whole Hershey experience this year. I talk too much and do too much every year and I always return home with a fever, sore throat and the other crud that goes along with all of that.

Needless to say, I LOVE talking cats all weekend and getting to chat with attendees as they hunt for information and products to help them do their job as a groomer even better than before.

So instead of thinking any more (my brain is fried), I'm going to just share a few photos with you.

Enjoy, and if you haven't been to a grooming trade show before, you NEED to go! Make it a priority. You'll be glad you did!

finishing up a demo and answering the spectator questions

That's Dana, in the background. She is the NCGIA office administrator and the friendly voice you hear on the other end of the phone when you call the office.

That odd incubator contraption thing in the background? The Catty Shack Vac, of course!! We wouldn't groom cats without it!

I just got back from the Hershey Groom Expo where we talked cat grooming for 3 straight days. What an awesome response we had from the attendees!

I had the privilege of joining my amazing Wahl Xtreme Team members by doing live booth demos. Melissa Verplank was kind enough to allow me to borrow Anna, her flame point Himi, again for one of the demos.

Anna and I have a history. I borrowed her once before a couple of years ago at another show. She's a Himi so she has attitude. She put on quite a show the first time I used her for a lecture demo, even drawing blood on my forearm during the process. It was one of those edge-of-the-seat experiences for the attendees who thoroughly enjoyed some "real life" cat grooming live at a show. Groomer vs. cat. Danelle vs. Anna. I might have won but I certainly did not come out of it unscathed.

I went into the show this weekend fully prepared for Anna and her attitude. But, Anna being a cat and cats being the way that they are, decided that she would make a big liar out of me and be on her best behavior in front of the crowds. She displayed a little bit of attitude but not much. By the end of her groom she was as limp as a Ragdoll as I held her out for the crowd to see the "after."

Anna the actress. She might have fooled the others, but I am wise to her tricks. I hope we meet again, dear Anna. I will be ready for whatever you throw my way.

09/02/2010

We had a visit at the National Cat Groomers School earlier this year from a producer working for Purina. They wanted to film me grooming a cat and working on a cat hair handbag. Click here to watch this fun piece.

09/01/2010

It turns out the Pet Pro Classic doesn't have the same speaker rule as many of the other shows. That meant I could compete in the Creative Style Runway, which really is a one-of-a-kind creative competition.

My husband and I flew out to Dallas with a Poodle and a Persian in tow. I had Monica and Truman all prepped for the Runway as much as possible before hand. Then, on Sunday, after a long, tiring day of lectures and working the booth, I scrambled out of the last seminar room, throwing my grooming gear in a bag under one arm, my cat under the other, and Truman running along beside.

We had less 2 and 1/2 hours until pre-judging and then it would be time for the line-up back stage as we awaited our turn to walk the Runway. Considering I had a good 3+ hours of work to do on Truman, scissoring him up and turning his coat into a mass of flowers and leaves, I was going to have to get seriously busy!

All of the other competitors were already in the grooming area, many of them having been there most of the day as they prepped their dogs for the big competition of the weekend and possibly of the year. There would be no time for food or taking a potty break. I had to dig into some poodle hair and then hope to have just enough time to finish up my Persian, putting the finishing touches on her before the judges came through with their clip boards and pencils, ready to give every entry a score.

Before long it was time to queue up and walk the Runway. My music was prepped and ready. We were all prepped and ready. I was going to perform a satirical re-write of Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." The entire song had been changed into a story any groomer could fully appreciate. The new title: "Before She Speaks." It was the same performance I did in Knoxville a few months earlier that earned me a First Place win the very first time I was ever able to compete in a grooming competition.

The performance went off without a hitch. My dear friend, Amy Brown, president of the NAPCG, did a find job of being the rich, obnoxious grooming client that my song is about. My friend, Dianne Davis, who lives in Dallas and is a member of the NCGIA, was kind enough to loan us her Poodle named "Poodle" to use as our "before" dog in the performance. During the song, I switch from the "before" pets to the "after" pets all done up in their "big wild flowers" "slashed out lines on all four legs" and pink dyed balls.

In the end, I am so thrilled to say that I won Best Overall Color, People's Choice, and 2nd Best Overall, despite the politics and shenanigans that went on.

It was a fantastic weekend, and I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband and friends!